Jace Davis on DD Triggers Time and Colby Lovell on Pepinstep are the 2023 Riata Buckle #14.5 Champions, worth $51,750 for a win that wasn’t at all about the money.

You see, Jace, 15, is the son of NFR header Justin Davis and the late Casee Bailey Davis, who lived a big, loving life with Justin and her two sons before she died Sept. 15, 2023, from breast cancer.

Full Results 2023 Riata Buckle

Lovell, for his part, has long been Justin’s close friend and supporter back in their hometown of Madisonville, Texas, and the 2020 World Champ and 2022 Riata Buckle Open Heading Champ has been along for the ride with the Davis family for the duration of their trials. So when Jace and Lovell came tight in 28.39 seconds on four head for the win from eighth callback, the emotions in the Lazy E were palpable.

Watch the 2023 Riata Buckle

“Colby and I grew up together, and we always had each other’s back,” Dad Justin, 41, said. “But when you go through life circumstances like this, and your friends always show up. And Colby has been there every minute for me and my boys. It’s huge for me as a parent to have somebody else to back up my boys and support them and push them and encourage them. That’s what true friendship is about. That passion Colby has, he has it for the people around him. That’s when you know you’re not just passionate for yourself—it’s not a selfish desire to do good, it’s a desire to do great and be great for other people, and Colby has shown that.”

“Their mental game, for what they’ve been through and gone through, you can’t shake them, they’re tough,” Lovell added of Jace and his younger brother, Ryder. “Everybody who knows Justin, there’s nothing you can’t say. He’s the most positive person I’ve met in my life, and Ryder (Davis’s other son) takes after him. So me and Jace do good for each other. I wouldn’t say I’ve been here for them, they’ve been here for me.”

For Jace, this marks the biggest win of his young career.

“This means a lot,” Jace said. “I’ve put so much work into this. I’ve had ropings I’ve missed every steer, and gone back to the house and put on the Mojos and roped all night, til one or two in the morning. It takes a lot of hard work.”

The head horse is Justin’s, raised and started by the Kesler family in Utah before Davis bought him as a 4-year-old.

“I’ve been so blessed to have so many great horses,” Justin said. “But when God puts animals in your life that you can use for a true purpose, that horse is just like Hammer was. He’s willing to do the job and has all the ability in the world like Hammer did. He wants to win and wants to please. He’s just a blessing.”

Both Justin and Jace ride the horse, and they spend a lot of time in the practice pen with Lovell and his string of great horses, too.

“They bring me up, I bring them up, we push each other,” Lovell said. “It’s part of the team. Them boys rope great. They’re going to make the NFR one day. I know they are. They rope outstanding. To be a part of that, and watch that grow, then come here and be able to win here.”

Lovell’s horse was the Riata-nominated of the herd, a 5-year-old stallion by One Time Pepto raised by the Flag Ranch, who’s raised winning horses ridden by the likes of Rhen Richard, Tate Kirchenschlager, Cole Davison and Trevor Brazile.

“In June, Mr Larry called me and asked if I’d be interested in training him in the roping to take him to the futurities next year,” Lovell said. “I had no plans on riding him this year. I haven’t really ever rode for the public, so I was a little nervous because I wanted to do a good job. If it’s your horse you mess up, then you can work at it and figure it out. But if it’s somebody else’s, they want to take their horse. But he’s done great.”

Jason and Kisha Itkin, owners of Theorem Ranch in Livingston, Montana, purchased the horse in early September, and by then, Lovell was extremely confident in the horse’s abilities.

“I told them if I do my job, he has the ability to do big things,” Lovell said. “Last night was the first time I’ve headed on him and put him to the test, and to rope both ends in that setup, I think he was the only horse to do both ends and I was proud of him. He walked in the box every time, stayed focused, didn’t get rattled. That horse has been like that since day one. For us to start back over this morning, and him not to try to out think me or out smart me, he just put it to work and read the play. There’s nothing I can say about that horse that he doesn’t say for himself.”

For the Itkins, owning a horse like Pepinstep, in training with a guy like Colby Lovell, is just how they operate.

“Jason and I try to do everything at the highest level,” Kisha said. “When we decided to develop a horse program for Theorem Ranch, we knew we would cut no corners. And we wanted to find the part of the industry that fits how we do things. The rope horse industry not only celebrates the horses in a deserving way but the partnerships between the athletes, breeders and owners. Everyone competes hard and celebrates being the best at what they do. We are honored to be a part of that.”